Nozzle structure for rotary brushing devices



Feb. 9, 1954 1 D, CONWAY 2,668,310

NozzEE STRUCTURE FOR ROTARY BRUSRING DEVICES Filed Deb. 1o, 1948 v 2 Sheets-Sheer lI will?! JOSEPH D. CONWAY Fm. Z

ATTORNEY Feb. 9, 1954 J. D. coNwAY 2,668,310

NOZZLE STRUCTURE FOR ROTARY BRUSHING DEVICES Filed Dec. lO, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheer 2 INVENTOR. Josavn D. CcNwAY BY F\ca.8 F\G.l0 M M:

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 9, l1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NOZZLE STRUCTURE FOR ROTARY BRUSHING DEVICES 1 Claim.

The present invention relates generally to rotary brushing devices as used in combination with cleansing fluids or the like to clean upholstered surfaces of furniture and walls, and more particularly, to improved means for distributing the cleansing fluid to the brushed surfaces.

Although rotary brushing devices ofthe type herein described have been successfully used-by upholstery cleaners on horizontal surfaces, a good deal of difficulty has been encountered when the device is employed on vertical or sloping surfaces. This results from the fact that on vertical surfaces the cleansing fluid tends to escape from the confines of the brushes before the brushes have been afforded the 'opportunity of working the uid into the upholstery or of lathering it, if the fluid be of the soap type.

The prior art devices eject the cleansing fluid directly onto the brushed surface. On horizontal work this poses no problem as there is little or no tendency for the fluid to flow across the surface. However, when the fluid is thus ejected onto a vertical surface, it rapidly ows downwardly, away from the brushes and may cause a streaking of the surface being cleaned, as well as being wasteful of the uid itself.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a device of the character described which is particularly adapted to be employed on vertical surfaces.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a device in which the cleansing fluid is not ejected directly onto the surface being worked.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described, in which the cleansing fluid is caused to be entrapped by the brushes before it is permitted tocontact the surface being worked.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character described, in which the path of fluid flow is so arranged as to cause the cleansing fluid to be sprayed directly onto the revolving brushes.

Other objects and advantages .of my invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings, annexed to this specification and forming a part thereof, and in which like numeralsV designatev like partsthroughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a rotary brushing device embodying the features of my invention and particularly showing the path of uid travel in the device.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the device taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. l, showing details of the valve construction, the other parts being removed.

Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 1 with the parts removed to'show portions of the fluid flow channels.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a front elevational view of a modified form of nozzle which is used in my invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an elevational view of another modified form of nozzle.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on line Ill-I0 of Fig. 9.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the device is seen to comprise a housing I which may be a casting and which,V in turn, consists of a handle portion 2, a hemispherical shell 3, a valve housing '4, and a switch housing 5.

Contained within the switch housing 5 is a toggle switch 6 which is secured thereto by means of a nut l. An electric cord 8 leads from the switch 6 to an electric motor pump assembly (not shown) which is utilized to pump the cleansing fluid to the'housing and also serves to rotate the brushes by means of the mechanism which will be fully described hereinafter.

In Vorder to prevent dirt from entering the switch housing 5, it is provided with a cover plate 9 which is secured thereto by means of screws I0.

vIn the housing 4 is contained a valve assembly I I,.which will be described in detail hereinafter, and integrally formed on the exterior of the housing 4 and extending upwardly therefrom is a pivot post I i.v on which is hingedly mounted a valve lever I3 by means of a screw I4 which extends through the post I2 and the bifurcated portion I5 of the lever I3. The lever I3 is vprovided with a camming surface I6 which is adapted toengage the valve assembly I'I and cause the valve to be opened when the lever is depressed.

The handle 2 is provided on the underside thereof with suitable finger notches I1 forconvenience in handling the device.

Referring now more particularly toV Fig. 3; it will be seen that the shell 3 is provided with a centrally located vertical bore I8 which is threaded as at I9 to receive a cap 20. The bore I8- is counterbored as at 25 to provide a shoulderv V2| on which'is seated an oil seal 23, andis counterbored as at 26 to provide a shoulder 22 against which seats a ball bearing 24.

A hollow shaft 21 provided with a longitudinal bore 28 has a portion 29 of reduced diameter which extends through the oil seal 23 into the space defined by the bore I8. The shaft 21 is journalled in two ball bearings 24, one of which, as heretofore mentioned, seats against the shoulder 22 and the other of which seats against a shoulder 30 formed by a counterbore 3l in the bore 32 of a circular cover-plate 33.

The cover-plate 33 is secured to the interior of the shell 3 by means of circumferentially spaced screws 34 and is further counterbored as at 35 to provide a shoulder 38 against which seats an oil seal 31 which is mounted on' the shaft 21.

'I'he lower extremity of the shaft 21 is conically tapered as at 39 to provide a seat for a brush plate 40 which has formed in the hub 42 thereof a tapered bore 4l which iscomplementary to the taper 39 on the shaft 21.

AThe face 45 of the brush plate is also provided with a plurality of radially and circumferentially spaced-openings 46 whichr are-adapted to receive and contain the bristle units 41 which comprise the brush 48.

.The brush plate 40 is retainedon the shaft 21 by means of an acorn nut or nozzlev 96 which is threadedly secured to the end of the shaft. The acorn nut is of special form and will be described more fully hereinafter.

The upper of the bearings 24 is vpositioned on the shaft 21 by means of a washer 50 and a jam nut which is threadedly secured to the shaft. A' bevel gear 52 iswmounted on the shaft 21 intermediate the bearings 24 and is keyed thereto by means of a key 53.

The bevel gear 52 is driven by a'bevel pinion 54which is journalled in ball bearings 55 which are' contained in the longitudinal bore 56 of the handle 2." A spacer tube 51 is interposed between the .bearings 55 to position the bearings on the shaft of the pinion 54 and a retaining ring 59 is mounted in a circumferential groove 59cm the shaft to prevent axial displacement o'fthe pinion relatively to the bearings 55.

The bearings 55 are secured against axial movement relatively to the bore 56 by a retainer nut 69 which is threaded 'into `the bore 55 and abuts one of the bearings 55. The nut 60 is slotted as at 6I to receive a key 52 which is adapted to enter a circumferential recess t3v on a exible shaft assembly 64 and serves to prevent axial movement of the flexible shaft assembly.

` Thel end' ofthe pinion shaft is provided with an. opening 65 of square cross-section which is adapted to `key the pinion with -a square extension 5B of .the flexible shaft.

Directly beneath the bore 5B in the handle 2 is provided :a bore or channel 61 of somewhat smaller diameter which is threaded to-receive a hose union 68 and which serves to convey the cleansingfluid into the device.

lBy also referring to Figs. 1,4 and 5, lit will be seen that the channel 61 communicates with a traversing channel 69 which leads into the valve housing 4. Another. channel 10, which is elevated above the channel E 9, leads out ofthe valve housing 4 to a vertically extending channel 1i in the shell 3,'which, in turn-communicates with an angularly extending channel 12 which leads into the space definedv b'y the' bore land sealed by the cap 29.

In the description of operatonofthe device 4 which will follow, I will describe the path of travel of the fluid, however, I wish now to refer more particularly to Fig. 4 and the details of the valve assembly I l therein disclosed.

The valve housing 4 is bored as at 13 and is counterbored and threaded as at 14 to form the shoulder 15. It is further counterbored at 16 to form shoulder 11 and is counterbored andthreaded as at 18 to form. shoulder 19.

A valve body is threadedly secured in the `bore 14 and seats on the shoulder 15. The valve body has secured thereto at its lower extremity a resilientt washer 8l which serves to isolate the bore 13 from the bore 14. The body has an annular recess 82 in which are formed a plurality of openings 83 which communicate with the bore 84 of the valve body 80.

A valve stem 65 is slidably mounted in the bore 84 of the valve body and has a flanged portion 86 which extends into the bore 13 and overlies the Washer 8 i. A coil spring 81 is seated in the bore 13 and yieldably maintains the stem 85 in sealing engagement with the washer 8 l.

The stem is undercut as at 88 to provide a clearance for the passa-ge of fluid through the bore 84 when the stem-.is depressed.

A plunger 89 is assembled to a retainer nut 99 for. limited sliding movement therein, and the retainer Vnut is threadedly secured in the bore 18 and seats against the shoulder 19 through the intermediary of a washer 9i and a flexible diaphragm 92 which is interposed between the abutting portions of the valve stem and plunger 89. The diaphragm thus prevents leakage of any fluid out of the valve housing 4. As heretofore mentioned, the-valve lever i3 is utilized to depress the plunger 89 and open the valve I l.

In Figs. 3 and 6, I have shown a nozzle 9B which l is formed of a machine screw which is machined to provide a longitudinal bore 91 and angularly disposed openingsv 98 branching off therefrom to direct the fluid onto the brush. In utilizing this form of nozzle, the shaft 21 is provided with a threaded opening 99 which communicates with the bore 28 and which is adapted to receive the nozzle 96. 'The Vfluid flows from the bore 28 into the bore 91 and is ejected through the openings 98. I'he head of the nozzle 96 also serves to secure the brush plate 49 to the shaft 21, as best shown in Fig. 6.` The head of the nozzle 9S is also provided with a slot 'G99 for the reception of a screw driver whereby assembly and removal of the nozzle for repair or replacement purposes is greatly facilitated.

In Figs. land 8 I have shown a modied form of nozzle in which I utilize and acorn nut 49 to secure the brush plate 40 to the shaft 21. It will be noted that a slot 93 is provided in the wall of the nut andthatlthis 'slot is formed in a plane which would direct the uid ejected therefrom at an angle such as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. Although I have indicated only one slot 93, it willY be apparent that a plurality of slots could be used if -a greater volume of fluid flow is desired.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I have shown, as an illustrative example, a modified form of nut. In this embodiment, the acorn nut 94 is provided with circular openings 95 which, like the slot 93,' are angularly disposed so as to eject the fluid onto the brush 48.

As in the case of the nozzle 96, the. nozzles 49 and 94 also serve to secure the brush plate 40 to the shaft 21.

The operation of the device will now be briefly described. It will be apparent that when the ileXible shaft 64 rotates the pinion 54, it, in turn, will cause the bevel gear 52 to be rotated. As the bevel gear is keyed to the shaft 21, the shaft 21 will also be rotated and will cause the brush plate 4D and nozzle 96 to rotate therewith.

'I'he cleaning fluid is pumped through a hose (not shown) Ito the handle 2 of the device where it enters the channel 81. From the channel 81 the fluid iiows to channel S9 and into the bore 13 in the valve housing 4. If the valve I I be closed, the fluid cannot pass out of the bore 13 as the ilanged portion 86 of the valve stem 85 is in sealing engagement with the Washer 8| which seats on the shoulder 15.

However, if the valve lever I3 is depressed, the plunger 89 causes the stem 85 to move downwardly against the action of the spring 81 and thus opens a path for the fluid flow between the washer 8l and the flanged portion 86 of the valve stem. The iluid can .then ilow into the bore 84 of the valve body and through the openings 83 into the" bore 14 of the valve housing.

As the channel communicates with the bore 14, the fluid ilows through the channel 10, through channel 1I and then ythrough channel 12 which opens into the bore I8 in the shell 3.

'Ihe only outlet provided for the fluid is through the bore 28 of the hollow shaft 21 and it is ejected from the device through the nozzle 49 or through the modified forms of nozzles heretofore described.

As indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, the fluid is ejected onto the rotating brush 48 instead of being ejected directly onto the surface being brushed. This permits the uid to be Worked or lathered by the brushes and to be evenly distributed among the bristles before it contacts the upholstered surface.

Thus, the possibility of the fluid running down a vertical surface and the consequent danger of streaking or of over-wetting is obviated.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have provided a compact, easily handled rotary brushing device which is particularly useful on vertical or inclined surfaces and Y' Number which successfully attains the objections which I have heretofore set forth.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of my invention, herein shown and described, represent preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a device of the character described, the combination of a hollow rotatable shaft, a conical end portion provided on said shaft, a brush assembly having a conical recess mounted directly on the end portion of said shaft, and a fastening element having a hollow stem portion threadedly secured to said shaft and a head abutting said brush assembly to maintain said assembly locked frictionally to said shaft, said head having a spherical outer surface and having openings extending angularly therethrough to direct a fluid under pressure from said hollow shaft and stem to said spherical surface and onto said brush assembly, said head being also provided with a slot adapted for the reception of a screw driver, whereby assembly and removal of said fastening element is facilitated.

JOSEPH D. CONWAY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wesley July 18, 1916 Weller July 3, 1917 Liddel May 30, 1922 Yutzler et al. July 26, 1932 Woods Sept. 19, 1933 Fleming et al Oct. 24, 1933 Mall Aug. 28, 1934 Stuckey et al. Feb. 18, 1941 Wilson Sept. 12, 1944 Stine Jan. 23, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Apr. 8, 1914 Numbel 

